Food product with high viscosity

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to food products comprising in percent by weight of dry matter, 0.5-5% of a viscous soluble fibre, 2-20% oat bran concentrate, and 7-35% cereal bran. The specific amount of these constituents provide for a high viscosity and are suitable to delay glucose absorption or appearance in blood and/or to maintain raised glucose levels while avoiding high glucose peaks. The high viscosity of a food product was shown to be a key factor in the appearance of glucose in the blood stream. Hence, the food products according to the present invention are also suitable for diabetic patients.

The present invention relates to a food product comprising a viscoussoluble fiber, oat bran concentrate and oat bran. The present inventionfurther relates to the use of viscous soluble fibre to synergisticallyincrease viscosity of a food product, which also comprises oat branand/or oat bran concentrate and to the use of cereal bran, to increasethe viscosity of a food product, which also comprises a viscous solublefiber and/or oat bran concentrate. The present invention relates furtherto the use of a viscous soluble fiber, oat bran and oat bran concentratein the preparation of a food product for providing energy for prolongedtime and/or for slowing down glucose appearance in blood and/orincreasing viscosity of the food product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The beneficial properties of fiber as part of the daily diet have beenmore and more recognised during the last decades. They comprise solubleand non-soluble parts of food that are not digested by the enzymes ofthe gastrointestinal tract it has been shown that fiber plays a role inthe prevention of certain large-intestine diseases, including cancer ofthe colon and diverticulitis. Certain fiber is reported to reducecholesterol in serum and liver, regulate large bowel and to increasestool bulk.

From WO 9728700 (Société des Produits Nestlé) the skilled person canlearn that soluble fiber may contribute to the maintenance of increasedblood glucose levels, delay the onset of hypoglycemia and prevent acidreflux during exercise.

Specific soluble fiber has been suspected to slow down absorbtion ofglucose in the gastro-intestinal tract and, more importantly, to preventhigh glucose plasma peaks after consumption of a starchy materialcontaining meal. This led to the further cognition that it may be thesolubility of the fiber that actually influences the absorption rate ofglucose.

As a consequence, EP 127287 (Nabisco Brands Inc.) teaches that aready-to-eat food product preferably comprises 8-12% guar gum, a highlysoluble fiber, besides other ingredients, in order to reduce insulin andpermitting smooth blood sugar fluctuations. However true this may be,guar gum is a fiber which

contributes to an unpleasant taste and it is not wished, also for“good-manufacturer's” reasons, to add this fiber in such high amounts.

In view of this and other prior art, it is wished to deliver thebeneficial effect of highly viscous, soluble fiber by a food product,while the amount of the viscous soluble fiber in the food product isrelatively small.

In other words, it is an objective to achieve a high viscosity in a foodproduct by synergistically enhancing the viscosity effect of the solublefiber present in the food product.

In particular, it is an objective of the present invention to achieve ahigh viscosity in a food product by using only small amounts ofhigh-viscosity soluble fiber.

Since one of the beneficial effects of viscous soluble fiber is to slowdown glucose absorption, it is wished to provide a food product, that issuitable to uphold beneficial blood glucose levels for prolonged time orto support and/or increase an athlete's performance or the endurance ofan athlete.

It is a further object to provide a food product with a fibercomposition or plant ingredients that procures a high viscosity to thefood product.

In parallel, the food product must have a good texture, mouthfeel andoverall organoleptic properties. In particular, the food product shouldnot have bad taste owing to the presence of viscous soluble fiber.

It is further an objective of the present invention to provide a foodproduct, wherein the carbohydrates, for example glucose, are only slowlyreleased in the gastro-intestinal tract. Such a food product would alsobe beneficial for diabetic patients, because hyperglycemia is avoidedand energy is provided within a prolonged time span. It is wished tohave such a food product, because it would, in addition, have a positiveconsequence of better food intake control, appetite reduction andslimming.

The present invention addresses the problems set out above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Remarkably, it was found that when a food product comprises a highlyviscous soluble fiber, a cereal bran and oat bran concentrate used inspecific ratios, the viscosity of the food product (or its ingredients)increases disproportionately and unexpectedly, if put in water at 37° C.

Consequently, in a first aspect the present invention provides a foodproduct comprising in percent by weight of dry matter, 0.5-5% of aviscous soluble fibre, 2-20% oat bran concentrate, and 7-35% cerealbran.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides the use of viscoussoluble fibre to synergistically increase viscosity of a food product,which also comprises oat bran and/or oat bran concentrate.

In a third aspect the invention provides the use of cereal bran, toincrease the viscosity of a food product, which also comprises a viscoussoluble fiber and/or oat bran concentrate.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides for the use of 1-4%,in percent by weight of dry matter, of a viscous soluble fibre, 4-16%oat bran concentrate, and 10-30% oat bran in the preparation of a foodproduct for providing energy for prolonged time, for slowing downglucose appearance in blood, increasing viscosity of the food product,controlling food intake and/or providing prolonged satiety.

An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a food productthat displays a high viscosity if treated in water at 37° C.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the high viscosity isachieved without adding high amounts of cold soluble, high-viscosityfiber, which is often difficult to isolate.

Cereal bran comprises only small amounts of soluble fiber, which isusually not liberated and which is so far thought not to contribute toviscosity at 37° C. (without heating in water to dissolve the fiber). Itis surprising that by combining the features of the present invention, astrongly increased viscosity is reached. A synergistic effect mayaccount for the high viscosity.

It is mentioned that the soluble fiber comprised in oat bran concentrateis usually hydrated in a food product that is dissolved in water at 37°C. Due to the special fat-extraction treatment that is employed toobtain oat bran concentrate, the β-glucan contained therein is easilyhydrated and dissolved and will thereby aid to increase viscosity.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention aredescribed in, and will be apparent from, the following DetailedDescription of the Invention and the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows the development of viscosity over time if differentcomponents of a food product are put into 200 mL water at 37°. Thedifferent curves demonstrate viscosity effect of guar alone (1 g), guarand oat bran (1 g+11 g), guar and oat bran concentrate (1 g+4 g), andfinally, guar, oat bran and oat bran concentrate together (1 g+11 g+4g). An unexpected viscosity-increasing effect of oat bran is visible.Interestingly, oat bran and oat bran concentrate without guar inducepractically no viscosity.

FIG. 2 shows the appearance of sugar in water during dialysis of theingredients of different bars. The upper line is the reference line andcorresponds to the dialysis of a bar that is free of cereal bran andguar gum. The lower line reflects the dialysis of the same bar, whereinrice crisps is partially replaced by guar gum and oat bran concentrate(see.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Within the context of this specification the word “comprises” is takento mean “includes, among other things”. It is not intended to beconstrued as “consists only of”.

In the context of the present invention, the term food product isintended to encompass and nutritionally complete or supplementaryconsumable product. Hence, the product may be consumed by humans, pets,such as cats and dogs, for example, and/or other animals. It may be abar, a snack, a biscuit, or it may be a supplement or a medicament,which may, optionally, be added to another food product. Hence, it maybe a baked product, for example based on baked dough, like for example abiscuit, a cookie or a brownie. It may or also an extruded product, likecertain snacks, for example. It may also be a liquid product, a petfood, a nutritional formula, an infant or baby formula, a confectioneryproduct, a dairy product, an ice-cream, cereal based product, such asbread, for example.

In the context of the present invention, the term “viscosity mixture” isintended to encompass the compulsory ingredients of a food productaccording to the present invention. That is, the term is intended toaddress the mixture of viscous soluble fiber, oat bran and oat barnconcentrate.

In the context of the present invention, for the sake of clarity, theterm “cereals” is intended not to include the constituents of the“viscosity mixture”, even if the latter are partially also based orobtained from cereals.

For clarification the percentages indicated herein are given in percentby weight of dry matter. However, it is mentioned that in most cases thepercentages will be valid directly for the food-product, including itsnatural water content. This is so because many of the proposedfood-products, that is a bar, a snack, or a biscuit, have a watercontent that is relatively low that corresponds more or less to thewater content of the raw materials according to the invention (viscoussoluble fiber, oat bran and oat bran concentrate). For example, if afood product comprising, in percent by weight, 5 to 15%, preferably 7 to12% water, and the raw materials have, in the form as furnished by thesupplier, essentially the same water content, the indicated percentagesapply directly to the food product comprising water.

Bulk sweeteners, in the context of the present invention, comprise, forexample, sucrose, invert sugar, glucose syrup, mapple syrup, sorbitol,xylitols, glycerol, polyols and so forth. The term is known by theskilled person and usually is understood to encompass all sweetenersexcluding “intense sweeteners”, like aspartame, for example.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the food product according to thepresent invention the viscous soluble fibre is selected from the groupcomprising guar gum, xanthan, konjac mannan, or mixtures thereof.

Preferably, in a an embodiment of the food product according to thepresent invention the cereal bran is selected from the group comprisingwheat-, barley-, oat bran and mixtures thereof.

Preferably, in an embodiment the food product further comprisesingredients selected from the group of bulk sweeteners, fats, othercereals, fruits, nuts, and mixtures thereof, in total amounts of 33 to85% by weight of dry matter.

In a preferred embodiment, the food product according to the presentinvention is a bar, a snack or a biscuit.

In a further embodiment, the food product according to the presentinvention is in particular suitable for endurance sports and/or for foodintake control.

It is preferably consumed prior to sustained effort or endurance sport,for example, jogging, marathon, country ski, cycling, and so forth.

In an additional embodiment, the food product according to the presentinvention is in particular suitable for diabetic patients.

The food product according to the present invention may be obtained inany suitable way. The exact procedure will depend on the food productand can be as simple as just mixing viscous soluble fiber, oat branconcentrate and a cereal bran in the percentages required by theinvention and adding it to a food product of choice.

The viscous soluble fiber may be selected from the group comprising guargum, xanthan, konjac mannan, β-glucan, agar, alginate, curdlan, gellangum, locust bean gum, pectin or mixtures thereof. It may be present in0.5 to 5%, preferably 1 to 4%, more preferably 1 to 3% in percent of dryweight of the food product.

The viscous soluble fiber is preferably a highly viscous and/or coldsoluble fiber. That is, it is preferably soluble at or below 40° C.,preferably 37° C. For example, the viscous soluble fiber may be used inpurified form. However, there is in principle no reason why it cannot beadded in a more native form. For example, if xanthan gum is used, whichis produced by a micro-organism under anaerobic conditions, it may besufficient to use the fermentation medium directly without furtherpurifying xanthan. Likewise, if carrageenan is used, which may beextracted from red seaweed, it may be sufficient to add red seaweed to afood product, as long as nutritional safety is granted. However, it ispreferred if the soluble viscous fiber is accessible by water ifconsumed. The viscosity effect will only come forward if water canhydrate the fiber during the digestive process. This is particularly soif purified fiber is used. Viscous soluble fiber is commerciallyavailable and its manufacture or isolation procedures form state of theart.

Cereal bran may be selected from the group comprising corn-, rice-,wheat-, barley-, oatbran and/or mixtures thereof. It is present in thefood product at 7 to 35%, preferably 10 to 30%, more preferably 12 to25% and even more preferably at 13 to 18% in percent by weight of thefood product.

Cereal brans are supplied by several manufacturers, for example oat branmay be purchased from (Kentaur AG, Lutzelflüh, Switzerland). On theother hand, manufacture procedures of brans are known to the skilledperson. Oat bran, for example, is generally produced by grinding cleanoat groats or rolled oats and separating the resulting oat flour bysieving, bolting, and/or other suitable means into fractions such as theoat bran fraction, which is usually not more that 50% by weight of thestarting material.

Oat bran concentrate is present in the food product according to theinvention in an amount of 2 to 20%, preferably 3 to 15%, more preferably4 to 10%, for example 5 to 8% in percent by weight of dry matter.

The oat bran concentrate may be, for example, a de-fatted oat branconcentrate, which means that the oat bran fraction which has a solublefibre content of above about 10% by weight has been subjected to solventextraction to remove, at least partially, oils and fats from thefraction. Ordinarily, oat bran concentrates have a fat or oil content ofgreater than about 10% by weight. De-fatted oat bran concentrates havean oil or fat content of less than about 7% by weight; more usuallyabout 4% to about 6% by weight. De-fatted oat bran concentrates offerthe advantage of better stability of the nutrient composition, increasedsolubility of the soluble fiber (β-glucan), and improved texture andorganoleptic properties of the nutrient composition.

De-fatted oat bran concentrates of this type are commercially available;for example suitable oat bran concentrates may be purchased from SwedishFiber AB, Väröbacka, Sweden. Alternatively, the oat bran concentrate maybe prepared by grinding dry oat grains and then carefully screening thefibre material from the starchy components of the oat grains. The fibrerich material may then be subjected to solvent extraction techniques toremove oils and fats from the material. A suitable procedure for theextraction of oils and fats is disclosed in British patent 1,526,553.The solvent extraction step may also be carried out prior to screeningif desired. This screening and extraction procedure would be suitablefor producing oat bran concentrates with fibre contents at the lower endof the range; for example an oat bran concentrate having a maximumsoluble fibre content of about 15% by weight.

As an alternative, the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,640 maybe adapted to produce the de-fatted oat bran concentrate. In thisprocess, oat grains are rapidly ground in slurry form at a temperatureof 0 to 15° C. The slurry is then homogenised and then screened toseparate off a fibre rich fraction. The fibre rich fraction may then besubjected to extraction to remove oils and fats. Using this technique,oat bran concentrates having a soluble fibre content of up to about 40%by weight may be prepared. Although oat bran concentrates having veryhigh soluble fibre contents may be used to produce the food product, itis preferred if the soluble fibre content is less than about 20% byweight.

As was said before, the viscous soluble fiber, oat bran and oat branconcentrate (viscosity mixture) may be added to any suitable foodproduct. The time of addition of one, two or all three of theseconstituents may depend on the recipe of the food product and themanufacture procedure.

A bar of the ready-to-eat type is a food product that may serve as anexample.

Accordingly, a mixture comprising essentially dry components (solids) ofthe bar may be prepared. Such a dry mixture is usually treated andobtained by a dry mixer, and will be later mixed with a binder (a syrup,for example) in a screw mixer, for example. The dry mixture will usuallycomprise about 40 to 90%, preferably 60 to 80% by weight of the totalrecipe, whereas the binder will account for the rest of it (60 to 30%,preferably 50 to 40% by weight).

If the food product is a bar to be produced by forming, pressing andcutting, the dry mixture will preferably already comprise the viscositymixture, that is, 0.5-5% of a viscous soluble fibre, 2-20% oat branconcentrate, and 7-35% cereal bran, in percent of the dry matter of thefinal bar. For example, the viscosity mixture may make up about 10 to60% of the dry weight of the total bar.

In addition, the dry mixture for the preparation of a bar may compriseother dry ingredients. These, however, will totally depend on themanufacturer's or consumer's preferences or taste.

Generally, the dry mixtures of a bar comprise cereals, nuts, fruits,chocolate, berries, milk solids, spices, flavours and the like.

Cereals, which comprise essentially starchy material, may be selectedfrom any form of raw or preferably processed cereal. In percent byweight of the dry mixture, about 0 to 30%, preferably 5 to 15%, ofcereals are used. Cereals may be just flour that is added to the drymixture of the bar. However, cereals may be used in the form of crisps,flakes, puffs (oven or gun puffed), extruded and/or extruded-expandedcereals may serve as an example. Cereals are wheat, maize, barley, oat,rice, oat, millet and the like. Hence, cereals comprise, for example,rice or maize crisps, puffed rice or oat, any kind of flakes, baked orcompressed and flaked cereals and so forth. Depending on the density ofthe final bar, the cereals may be chosen accordingly. For example, if alight bar is preferred, it is better to use crisps and/or puffs ascereals, whereas when a dense bar is preferred, it may be better to useflakes or baked and compressed cereals, or simply flour, such as riceflour, for example.

If high amounts of oat bran and/or oat bran concentrate (part of theviscosity mixture) are used to prepare a dry mixture for a bar, othercereals may be completely absent.

In WO 0056171 a process of preparing a bar is disclosed. The barcomprises a cooked-extruded-expanded base mainly comprising rice flour,wheat flour and wheat starch, and/or a cooked-extruded and flaked basemainly comprising corn flour and corn starch. The cooked-extruded andoptionally flaked bases according to WO 0056171 are also suitable toserve as cereals in the preparation of the present bar.

Rice crisps, for example, may be obtained by cooking-extruding expandinga mixture of rice flour and water (7 to 15%), optionally also sugars andprotein, in 3 to 5 treatment zones of an extruder (for example, atwin-screw extruder). Rice crisps are commercially available, forexample, from GEMEF Industries, 44, rue du Louvre, Paris, France.

The dry mixture may also comprise nuts and fruits, for example. Examplesare hazelnuts, wall-nuts, pecan-nuts, cashew nuts, almonds, coconut,chest nut, macadamia nut or mixtures of these. Nuts will be present inamounts 0 to 15%, preferably 0 to 10% by weight of the dry mixture.Fruits, such as apple, peach, pear, apricot, banana, orange, pine-apple,for example, and/or berries, such as raspberry, strawberry, blackberry,blueberry and the like may also be added to the dry mixture, in amountsof up to 20%, preferably up to 10% by weight. The fruits and berrieswill preferably be cut into pieces, which may be necessary with bigfruits, and dried before addition to the dry mixture.

The binder to be added to the dry mixture may be a syrup. A glucosesyrup, for example, comprising a mixture of glucose and/or its polymersobtained by partial hydrolysis of starch, having a DE (dextroseequivalence) value of about 30 to 50 and a water content of from about15 to 25% by weight of the binder. Generally, the binder may compriseinvert sugar, glucose sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup.

The binder may comprise milk solids, which is added in the form of milkpowder and/or fresh milk. In the latter case, the addition of water maybe at least partially replaced by the addition of milk. WO 0056171describes a binder in this sense, which comprises 10 to 70 parts ofsugar, 0.5 to 5 parts of a binding agent (a polysaccharide such as gum),up to 15 parts of glycerin, up to 60 parts of fruit pulp or cencentrate,up to 10 parts of cocoa powder and added water up to a water content offrom 10 to 30%, for example.

The binder may comprise 0 to 15%, preferably 0.5 to 5% glycerol.Glycerol is sometimes added to bars to provide a moisture mouthfeel,while water content has generally to remain low to grant for a prolongedshelf life.

In a basic approach, the binder is simply a syrup comprising water (10to 20% by weight of binder) and sugars, optionally further comprisingfat (0 to 15%, preferably 2 to 10%), lecithin (0 to 1%, preferably 0.01to 0.2%) and/or flavours, which is obtained by heating the water to 70to 90° C. and adding/dissolving the sugars under stirring. Syrups with awater content of about 15 to 20% by weight are also commerciallyavailable.

By mixing the dry mixture and the binder in the amounts mentioned above,a basic mass of the bar is obtained. This step may be done in anyadequate mixing apparatus such as a screw mixer of the helical springtype with an axial sprinkling nozzle or with a coating drum, forexample.

The basic mass may be transferred into a suitable forming or pressingapparatus, to shape the bar. For example, a Bepex-Hutt Roller Press typeDP may be used, which pushes the basic mass through a slab nozzle or astrand nozzle, under pressures of up to 12 bar, preferably 5 to 10 bar.Another suitable apparatus is the Bepex-Hutt Roller Slab Former type GP,which does not imply such high pressures and therefore yields a flatpaste with a lower specific weight.

However, the final bars may be obtained by other means, too. Generally,after forming the basic mass from the binder and the dry mixture, thefurther process may include forming rolling, pressure rolling, transferon a pressure band, pre-cooling (10 to 20° C.), cutting of the finalshape, for example, by a slitter or guillotine cutter (from Sollich orRademaker), second cooling (4 to 15° C.), and final packaging of thebar.

For example, a classic bar forming protocol would comprise mixing of thedry mixture and the binder, putting it into a slab former, which yieldsa slab or a band, transferring to a compression roller, thentransferring the slab or band, which has the correct height into acooling tunnel of 4° C., cooling it down to 20° C., performing alongitudinal cut to obtain stripes of the width of 2 to 5 cm, preferably3 to 4 cm. Then the stripes are led to a guillotine cutter, whichfinally yields bars of a length of 5 to 20 cm, preferably 8 to 15 cm.

The following example is given by way of illustration only and in no wayshould be construed as limiting the subject matter of the presentapplication. Percentages and parts are by weight unless otherwiseindicated.

EXAMPLE 1 Preparation of a Bar Comprising Soluble Fiber, Oat BranConcentrate and Cereal Bran

A dry mixture and a binder are prepared using the following ingredients(calculated in percent by weight):

Binder Glucose syrup 17 Sucrose 8 Invert sugar 10 Fat 7.82 Lecithin 0.1Dry mixture Apple cubes 10 Rice crisp 10 Oat bran 30 Oat branconcentrate 6.0 Guar 1 Apple flavor 0.08

The percentages of guar, oat bran and oat bran concentrate, in weightpercent of the dry mix, are 1.9%, 18.9% and 7.5%, respectively.

The rice crisps were obtained by cooking-extruding-expanding rice flouraccording to standard techniques, purchased from GEMEF Industries, 44,rue du Louvre, Paris, France.

The ingredients are thoroughly mixed and put into a Bepex-Hutt RollerSlab Former Type GP, which presses the mixture and yields an about 1.5cm thick, flat slab. Then pieces of about 20 g are cut out from thepressed paste to obtain longish bars.

The bars had a pleasant taste and a good mouthfeel.

EXAMPLE 2 Viscosity Caused by Fiber, Oat Bran Concentrate and CerealBran

Viscosity of different ingredients of the bar of Example 1 is measuredalone or in combination with other ingredients (A-D below) if put intowater at 37° C. and supplemented with pancreatin, the latter to digeststarch and dextrins. A Viscosimeter of Brookfield was used (at a speedof 50⁻¹, Spindel No. 4).

The ingredients or mixtures were the following:

A: 1 g guar B: 1 g guar + 11 g oat bran C: 1 g guar + 4 g oat branconcentrate D: 1 g guar + 11 g oat bran + 4 g oat bran concentrate

Viscosity of the 4 samples was measured over a period of 90 minutes. Theresults are given in FIG. 1.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the combination of guar and oat bran causes ahigh increase of viscosity after 60 and 90 minutes. This is to beexpected, because both comprise soluble fiber that will be released andhydrated in water at 37° C. over time.

Unexpectedly, the addition of oat bran causes an even stronger increasein viscosity. This is surprising, because oat bran contains only littleamounts of soluble fiber, and, what is more, the fiber will usually notbe dissolved by a mild treatment as the present one.

In conclusion, a surprisingly high viscosity was achieved with mixturesof a high-viscous soluble fiber, oat bran concentrate and oat bran inspecific amounts. The result is advantageous, because it means that highviscosity in a food product, such as a standard bar, may be achievedwith little percentages of soluble fiber, if they are completed with oatbran, which is usually not very expensive or difficult to obtain.

EXAMPLE 3 Sugar Release During Dialysis of a Bar Mix in Water andPancreatin

75 g of the mixture according to example 1 was compared with a similarmixture, wherein oat bran concentrate and guar was entirely replaced byrice crisp. The mixtures were completed with each 0.1 g pancreatin, tosimulate saliva.

The two mixtures were put into a dialysis bag (diameter: 2 cm, length:30 cm), which was incubated in a container comprising 1 L mineral waterat 37° C. under slight agitation.

Total sugars were measure using the phenol-sufuric method every 30 minfor up to 3 hours. The dialysis bag was shortly kneaded every tenminutes.

The results are given in FIG. 2. It can be seen that the mixturecomprising guar, oat bran and oat bran concentrate releases sugar slowerthat the reference, which only comprises oat bran.

In conclusion, the combined ingredients of a highly viscous, solublefibre, cereal bran and oat bran concentrate is suitable to delay sugarrelease. The experiments which model the digestive tract suggest thatthe food product according to the present invention will slow down ordelay glucose absorption, prevent hyperglycemia, reduce carbohydrateabsorption rate, prolong glucose fuel from the intestines, prolongperformance, for example in an endurance sprot, provide energy andsatiety for a prolonged time.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to thepresently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention andwithout diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intendedthat such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

1. A food product comprising in percent by weight of dry matter, 0.5 toabout 5% of a viscous soluble fibre, 2 to about 20% oat branconcentrate, and 10 to about 30% cereal bran.
 2. The food productaccording to claim 1, wherein the viscous soluble fibre is selected fromthe group consisting of guar gum, xanthan, konjac mannan, and mixturesthereof.
 3. The food product according to claim 1, wherein the cerealbran is selected from the group consisting of wheat-, barley-, oat branand mixtures thereof.
 4. The food product according to claim 1, furthercomprising ingredients selected from the group consisting of bulksweeteners, fats, other cereals, fruits, nuts, and mixtures thereof, intotal amounts of 33 to about 85% by weight of dry matter.
 5. The foodproduct according to claim 1, which is in a form selected from the groupconsisting of a bar, a snack and a biscuit.
 6. The food productaccording to claim 1, which is designed for endurance sports or for foodintake control.
 7. The product according to claim 1, which is designedfor diabetic patients.
 8. A method for preparing a food product, themethod comprising using 1 to about 4%, in percent by weight of drymatter, of a viscous soluble fibre, 4 to about 16% oat bran concentrate,and 10 to about 30% oat bran in the preparation of the food product. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein the oat bran is an oat bran concentrate.10. The method of claim 8 comprising the step of adding the cereal branto the viscous soluble fiber and an oat bran concentrate.
 11. A methodfor reducing the appearance of glucose in the blood in response to afood product comprising the step of using in the food product 1 to about4%, in percent by weight of dry matter, of a viscous soluble fibre, 4 toabout 16% oat bran concentrate, and 10 to about 30% oat bran in thepreparation of the food product.
 12. The method according to claim 11,wherein the viscous soluble fibre is selected from the group consistingof guar gum, xanthan, konjac mannan, and mixtures thereof.
 13. Themethod according to claim 11, wherein the cereal bran is selected fromthe group consisting of wheat-, barley-, oat bran and mixtures thereof.14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the food product comprisesingredients selected from the group consisting of bulk sweeteners, fats,other cereals, fruits, nuts, and mixtures thereof, in total amounts of33 to 85% by weight of dry matter.
 15. The method according to claim 11,wherein the food product is in a form selected from the group consistingof a bar, a snack and a biscuit.
 16. A method for reducing food intakein an individual comprising the steps of feeding the individual a foodproduct comprising in percent by weight of dry matter, 0.5 to about 5%of a viscous soluble fibre, 2 to about 20% oat bran concentrate, and 10to about 30% cereal bran.
 17. The method according to claim 16, whereinthe viscous soluble fibre is selected from the group consisting of guargum, xanthan, konjac mannan, and mixtures thereof.
 18. The methodaccording to claim 16, wherein the cereal bran is selected from thegroup consisting of wheat-, barley-, oat bran and mixtures thereof. 19.The method according to claim 16, wherein the food product comprisesingredients selected from the group consisting of bulk sweeteners, fats,other cereals, fruits, nuts, and mixtures thereof, in total amounts of33 to 85% by weight of dry matter.
 20. The method according to claim 16,wherein the food product is in a form selected from the group consistingof a bar, a snack and a biscuit.
 21. A method for providing nutrition toa diabetic patient comprising the steps of feeding the diabetic patienta food product comprising in percent by weight of dry matter, 0.5 toabout 5% of a viscous soluble fibre, 2 to about 20% oat branconcentrate, and 10 to about 30% cereal bran.
 22. The method accordingto claim 21, wherein the viscous soluble fibre is selected from thegroup consisting of guar gum, xanthan, konjac mannan, and mixturesthereof.
 23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the cereal branis selected from the group consisting of wheat-, barley-, oat bran andmixtures thereof.
 24. The method according to claim 21, wherein the foodproduct comprises ingredients selected from the group consisting of bulksweeteners, fats, other cereals, fruits, nuts, and mixtures thereof, intotal amounts of 33 to 85% by weight of dry matter.
 25. The methodaccording to claim 21, wherein the food product is in a form selectedfrom the group consisting of a bar, a snack and a biscuit.
 26. Themethod according to claim 21, wherein the viscous soluble fibre isselected from the group consisting of guar gum, xanthan, konjac mannan,and mixtures thereof.